This file is provided for reference purposes only. It was current when produced, but is no longer maintained and may now be outdated. Please select www.ovc.gov to access current information.

ACCESSING INFORMATION:

OVC RESOURCE CENTER AND OTHER SERVICES

VICTIMS' RESOURCES IN THE INFORMATION AGE

For victims and victim service providers, new information access begins with the Office for Victims of Crime
Resource Center (OVCRC) and the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS). As an NCJRS
component, OVCRC (800-627-6872) specializes in delivering timely and relevant information to the victim-serving community.

Today, victims and victim service providers can instantly access an enormous store of information specific to
the entire range of their personal and professional concerns, including statistics; model programs and
protocols; grant funding sources; and local, State, and national referrals to professional organizations in the
victim-serving community. Perhaps most important, this information is available wherever and whenever it is
needed -- in homes, shelters, and offices; in the middle of a trial or in the middle of the night.

Since coming "online" in 1994, NCJRS and OVCRC have developed a variety of online services to benefit
the victim assistance professional. Each service is listed below with a description and online address.
Together with other electronic access features -- including telephone and online document ordering, and fax-on-demand -- NCJRS and OVCRC have truly made a "quantum leap" forward in fulfilling their mission of
"bringing the right information to the right people...right now."

ACCESSING NCJRS AND OVCRC ONLINE

NCJRS INTERNET GOPHER SITE: Contains text of information from each Office of Justice
Programs (OJP) agency, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and NCJRS component clearinghouses.
Includes agency overviews, press releases, public announcements, conferences, previews of new products and
publications, direct links to other criminal and juvenile justice resources on the Internet, and direct
connections to the NCJRS Bulletin Board System and the Partnerships Against Violence NETwork
(PAVNET). The gopher address is <ncjrs.aspensys.com>.

NCJRS WORLD WIDE WEB HOMEPAGE: Provides a graphical interface (a connection that
displays graphics or illustrations, as well as text) to NCJRS information, as well as links to other criminal
justice resources from around the world. The NCJRS Web page provides information about NCJRS and OJP
agencies; grant-funding opportunities; previews of selected new publications; key-word searching of NCJRS
publications; the current NCJRS Catalog; a topical index; and direct connections to the NCJRS Gopher site
and Bulletin Board System, as well as PAVNET. The address for the NCJRS Homepage is
<http://ncjrs.aspensys.com:81/homepage.html>.

NCJRS ANONYMOUS FTP: The NCJRS Anonymous FTP (File Transfer Protocol) site allows users to
quickly access and download large, complex NCJRS publications and software, whether they are in ASCII
text or a binary document. These documents may include annual OJP agency program plans, which contain
grant funding information. The Anonymous FTP address is <ftp ncjrs.aspensys.com>.

JUSTICE INFORMATION (JUST INFO) ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER: This free, online
newsletter is distributed to your Internet e-mail address on the 1st and 15th of each month. JUST INFO
contains information concerning a wide variety of subjects, including news from all Office of Justice
Programs (OJP) agencies and the Office of National Drug Control Policy; criminal justice in the news; news
of international criminal justice; criminal justice resources on the Internet; Federal legislation updates;
criminal justice funding and program information, and announcements about new NCJRS products and
services. To subscribe, send an e-mail to <listproc@aspensys.com>. Further instructions will be
automatically forwarded.

E-MAIL: INFORMATION AND HELP: First time users can send an e-mail message to this address:
<look@ncjrs.aspensys.com>. The user will automatically receive a reply outlining the services of NCJRS.
User requiring technical assistance or having specific questions on criminal and juvenile justice topics can
send an e-mail to <askncjrs@aspensys.com>.

NCJRS BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM (NCJRS*BBS): NCJRS*BBS is a free 24-hour electronic service
accessible through a personal computer and a modem (now also available through the Internet). NCJRS*BBS
serves as the primary online conduit for news and announcements from NCJRS, the Office of Justice
Programs (OJP), and the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). Agency "menus" contained on
the system provide agency and mission descriptions; product and publications lists; full texts of documents
and reports; conference, workshop, and seminar schedules; program summaries; applications for grant
funding opportunities; grant award summaries; and training and technical assistance information. In addition
to providing up-to-date criminal justice information, NCJRS*BBS serves as an interactive network for
information sharing among criminal justice professionals. NCJRS collects, reports, and evaluates information
from numerous sources, and users supply information on their vital findings. Information is also generated
online, as users comment on resources, exchange ideas, ask questions, and provide answers. Users with
Internet access may either Telnet to <ncjrsbbs.aspensys.com> or Gopher to <ncjrs.aspensys.com>.
Users without Internet access may direct dial through their modem: (301) 738-8895. Modems should be set at
9600 baud and 8-N-1.

PARTNERSHIPS AGAINST VIOLENCE NETWORK (PAVNET): PAVNET Online is a searchable
database containing information about hundreds of promising programs and resources, providing users with
key contacts; program types; target populations; location; project startup date; evaluation information; annual
budget; sources of funding, and program description. Users may either go directly to the site at <gopher
pavnet.esusda.gov> or access it through the NCJRS Gopher site at <ncjrs.aspensys.com> (look under the
menu selection "Other Criminal and Juvenile Justice Resources").
OTHER NCJRS ELECTRONIC INFORMATION SERVICES

FAX-ON-DEMAND: NCJRS has established a "fax-on-demand" service which allows the user to obtain
copies of selected NCJRS documents directly through their own fax machine, using a toll-free telephone
number. To access the fax-on-demand menu, simply call 1-800-851-3420, and follow the prompts.

CD-ROM: Users with CD-ROM capability can also obtain the NCJRS Document Data Base on CD-ROM.
This disk features citations and abstracts of more than 130,000 criminal justice books, research reports,
journal articles, government documents, program descriptions, program evaluations, and training manuals
contained in the NCJRS Research and Information Center library collection. The disk also contains search
software that supports retrieval using any combination of words to search individual fields or all fields
globally. The disk can be searched using "free text" methods, or in combination with the National Criminal
Justice Thesaurus. Details are available by calling NCJRS at (800) 851-3420.
VICTIM-RELATED INTERNET SITES

The following is a list of sites on the Internet containing information on selected crime victimization and
criminal justice topics. The list is intended only to provide a sample of available resources, and does not
constitute an endorsement of opinions or statements made therein. Be sure to check the Victims section of the
NCJRS World Wide Web homepage for links to new and interesting sites online.